Presidents 2013-14

Main Draw:

Plate Competition:

Blog:

Friday 11th July 2014

Finals night! In the main draw Tim Dickins (+19) took on reigning champion Dave Brierley (-20). With such a huge deficit to make up Dave was always going to have a tough fight on his hands...but, as he'd shown in earlier rounds, he is quite capable of reeling oponents in. This time Tim proved a stretch to far, and Tim won 25-12.

In the plate, Nigel Lush (-11) played Paul Lancaster (+10). Both players had shown they were capable of winning matches. Paul ensured he kept ahead for most of the match, but Nigel's experience won-out in the end with him taking the Plate 25-19.

Monday 7th July 2014

6 matches were played today, 3 in the main draw and 3 in the plate:

The evening started with a plate match; Nigel Lush (+1) played Stewart Chandler (-2). In the words of Stewart, “Andy, got turned over by The Lush 25-20. Overrated Chandler was outclassed by Lusher who was still hung over from a weekend at Silverstone. Lushy's drops confused both players, by the time Stew got to grips with Lushy's strategy it was time to shake hands!”.

Next up and also in the plate, bright young thing Aaron Morant (-9) took on John Spencer (+8). In a match that pitted athleticism against guile (I won’t say which way round), John won (much to his own surprise!) to secure his place in the semi-finals.

The 3rd plate match saw Chris Ash (-7) do battle with Natalie Morant (+6). Natalie brought her “A Game”. Unfortunately, that game plan was for a stylish, fit, rallying opponent. She really needed the tactics for someone who (despite his obvious impediments) chased down everything and attempted 47 killer drops in the match, with a success rate of 83%! Despite Natalie giving it her all (including “leaving her but in the way to stop Chris getting to the ball”) Chris eventually edged it 25-20.

First up in the main draw saw current President’s Cup holder Dave Brierley (-13) against o35 squash champ (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014) Andrew Codrai (+12). Dave made the early running, but Andrew looked great in his new T-Shirt. After 55 minutes (!) Dave served at 25-25 all for the match and won 26-25.

The energy stayed just as high for the next match which pitted Gordon Blyth (+6) against Dilip Chakrabarti (-7). Dilip started strongest, but Gordon piled on the points in the mid-section of the game, confirming his view that he was twice as fit as Dilip. But, frustratingly for Gordon, Dilip found his length and width, and closed out the match, winning 25-22.

Last up, old warhorse Ady James (-8) faced old wardrobe Colin Codrai (+8). I’m not sure if it was the unfamiliarity of starting with a negative score, or of seeing Colin in the 2nd round of a competition, but Ady looked edgy and made many uncharacteristic errors. Colin seemed to be finding the ball just as heavy, putting numerous drops on the red line. But in amongst the frustration there were some great rallies, with thoughtful shot placement and committed chasing. Ultimately it was Colin who wanted it more, and finished the stronger to win 25-19 and book a semi-final against Tim Dickins.

Sunday 6th July 2014

Since I last emailed, 5 more matches have been played in the 2013/14 President’s Cup. First we had some postponed 1st round games:

On Friday, Ady James (-5) played Mathew Maskell (+5). Ady dominated many of the rallies, forcing Matt all over the court…something Matt showed he was quite happy to do. But his fitness alone wasn’t enough to beat Ady who played some well worked rallies to ultimately win 25-19.

On Saturday, Dilip Chakrabarti (-2) played Natalie Morant (+2). Dilip is Natalie’s nemesis, matching her drive and enthusiasm in every rally. But with a 4 point start, would Natalie come out ahead? Not this time. Dilip went for it and booked his place in the next round with an emphatic 25-10 win.

On Sunday, Andrew Codrai (0) played Stewart Chandler (0). It is difficult for me to say too much about how well Andrew played, but suffice it to say, Stewart was awesome – and Andrew still won (25-22). Stewart will go on to wreak havoc in the plate, and Andrew will go on to be knocked out by Dave Brierley in the main draw quarter finals!

Two scheduled matches were also played on Friday:

In their main draw QF match, Tim Dickins did battle with Gordon Scott. Gordon showed his court dominance to good effect, but was caught out by the steadiness and tightness of Tim’s game and shot. Without seeming to do much, Tim eased ahead, eventually winning 25-16 to book his place in the semi-finals. Like so many of these matches, the score line tells a different story to a match in which every rally was on a knife-edge.

And in the Plate 1st round, Paul Lancaster played Matt Maskell (his second game of the night). Paul looked in control through most of the match, perhaps capitalising on Matt’s tiredness? Paul went on to win 25-12. Alas, Matt only got 2 matches out of his new racquet, but all who were watching saw that with his athleticism, he will be a force in future years.

Friday 27th June 2014

Dear Athletes

Many thanks for entering the 2013/14 President’s Cup…the annual racketball handicap challenge. Attached is the draw for the main competition, and the times for the plate games.

First matches for all* are on Wednesday 2nd July, and the finals are scheduled for Friday 11th July.

* Matthew Maskell has a bye in the first round and so will join the completion on Monday 7th July.

As usual, the lights will come on automatically for your match. Please endeavour to turn up on time…even before and after to cheer on your fellow competitors (and help with marking is always appreciated!). And come armed with your £2 entrance fee please.

The format is simple…the starting scores are shown on the draw. The point-a-rally (American Scoring) approach will be followed, with the winner being the first player to 25 points (or 26 in the event of 24-24 all being reached). There is no break half way through!

A nice touch is to email your opponent ahead of the game to (a) confirm you are attending, and (b) hurl some off-putting banter.